Due South

Leoneda Inge sits down with CDC director Mandy Cohen to discuss the importance of updated vaccinations this flu season and Durham-based recording artist Shirlette Ammons discusses her latest work, Spectacles . 

Jeff Tiberii talks to WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell about the state of the race for NC attorney general. Then, pioneering female sports journalist Melissa Ludtke stops by to talk about her career and her new book, Locker Room Talk: A Woman's Struggle to Get Inside.

This election year, all eyes are on millennial and Gen Z voters. These generations are emerging as a potentially powerful voting group. Gender studies and race studies intersect in real time with the Harris Presidential campaign. And, the history and impact of early voting. Guests David McLennan, professor of Political Science; Director of the Meredith Poll, Meredith College Nadia Brown, professor...

Last year was a record-breaking year for tourism in North Carolina. But in the aftermath of Helene, fall tourism in western North Carolina is taking an enormous hit.  Perspectives from others in the region, including The Fall Color Guy who says why he will not be making his annual fall foliage forecast this season. Guests Wit Tuttell , Director, Visit North Carolina Jessica Tomasin , Studio Manage...

This is part two of a two-part North Carolina Election Special, a statewide collaboration between NC public radio stations.  For a better understanding of just who makes up North Carolina's registered voters, Emma Marshall of NC Demography and Jason deBruyn (WUNC) offer analysis and insights of state's large — nearly 8 million people — electorate. It has been called the swingiest of swing, the blu...

This is part one of a two-part North Carolina Election Special, a statewide collaboration between NC public radio stations.  This hour, a framework of the November election in North Carolina. With early voting underway, host Jeff Tiberii speaks with reporters about key issues from the mountains to the coast.  We discuss the political ramifications following the destruction of Helene in Western Nor...

The 2024 North Carolina State Fair returns to Raleigh from Oct. 17-27. Leoneda Inge chats with Heather Overton, assistant director of public affairs at N.C . Department Agriculture and Consumer Services about this year's new offerings. Mary Lambeth Moore, host of the new podcast, Recovering Debs, joins us to discuss North Carolina debutante history. And Dr. Nikita Y. Harris, founder of The Nationa...

How one school community has responded in the aftermath of hurricane Helene. Plus, a conversation with Democratic candidate for Governor Josh Stein, and a profile of Republican candidate Mark Robinson. Guests Liz Schlemmer , education reporter, WUNC Josh Stein , North Carolina Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Colin Campbell , Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC 

Misinformation and disinformation can cause harm under normal circumstances, but the stakes are particularly high in the aftermath of disasters. WRAL PolitiFact reporter Paul Specht has been tracking viral claims about aid efforts after Tropical Storm Helene flooded much of western North Carolina. He talks with co-host Leoneda Inge about sifting through fiction to find the facts. Then, the name “M...

We get the latest on this year’s very active Hurricane season from the NWS, and what western NC can expect through the end of November. And, the winding roads surrounding the Western part of the state still need some attention – we get a transportation update on roads and highways. Plus, a relief bill signed into law for Helene recovery, and an on-the-ground experience of an Ecovillage in western...

Helene has impacted every aspect of life in western Carolina – including Asheville’s music scene. In the aftermath of the storm, musicians are using their craft to raise money and hope. WUNC music reporter Brian Burns shares the latest with co-host Leoneda Inge. Music Maker Foundation is one of the many organizations working to raise funds for musicians impacted by Helene. This kind of work is not...

Tupperware Brands announced its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2024. The news sent a wave of nostalgia through households across the country. Due South co-host Leoneda Inge speaks with three different guests about how Tupperware has revolutionized American culture, created streams of income for working class women and ultimately, survived long enough to see the power of its brand wa...

WUNC’s military reporter Jay Price flew with National Guard troops who were dropping off food and water to residents… Many who’ve been without power and water for more than a week now. An excerpt from The Broadside for our Purple Ballot series: “This year, a record $12.3 billion will be spent on US political campaigns. The majority of that is earmarked for political advertising, particularly in ba...

Known to some during his time on the 1976 presidential campaign trail as a "New South" moderate, President James Earl Carter came to the White House as a Washington outsider and strived to learn and manage the work of the office both stateside and abroad.  The one-term president's political career is often understood but his work post-presidency has been better remembered and regarded, as is evide...

On the North Carolina News Roundup… Helene’s devastating toll on Western North Carolina is still being calculated. We’ll hear from a Blue Ridge Public Radio reporter on the ground. A reporter also fills us in on access to health care in the storm ravaged areas. And the executive director of the NC Council of Churches joins us to discuss the intersection of religion and politics during this electio...

Rescue and evacuation efforts continue in western North Carolina, with many people still unaccounted for. There is also a widespread effort to get resources out to people in hard-to-reach areas of our state. We’ll check in with North Carolinians from Avery County and Buncombe County. Then, WUNC’s Rusty Jacobs tells us how Helene’s impacts are reshaping the election with in-person early voting sche...

Charlotte baker Manolo Betancur and El Centro Unido's Margarita Ramirez are among the many people providing food and support for people in western North Carolina in the aftermath of Helene. Plus, workers who labor on farms, and construction sites experience extreme heat frequently in the workplace, but there are also service workers who face extreme heat. WUNC's new series "Scorched Workers" shows...

Surveying the damage from Helene in NC's rural high country In Western North Carolina, recovery efforts continue while relief is ramping up. Co-host Jeff Tiberii talks with reporter Duncan McFadyen from Linville in Avery County for a view from NC's high country. And we hear from a Charlotte resident who hiked 11 miles to check on his parents in Little Switzerland, NC. Duncan McFadyen , a former WF...

The latest from Western North Carolina where Helene has caused 'biblical devastation' Western North Carolina has been devastated by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Officials are now calling it that region’s Hurricane Katrina and the impact of the damage ‘biblical.’ There have been at least 30 deaths and hundreds more are missing. Major roads are destroyed or shut down. Power outages and limited...

On the NC News Roundup... We’re less than three weeks away from the beginning of early voting in North Carolina, and the scandal surrounding Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson continues to dominate the headlines. Our panel of journalists will tell us about the latest on the allegations against Robinson and responses from other Republican politicians. And, as Tropical Storm Helene pushes through the Southeast,...

A local reporter explains why young residents are leaving the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, and how local leaders are trying to attract them to stay. A long-time North Carolinian, and demographer, helps us understand the long-term trends in our shifting population And, the mayor of Princeville shares the unique challenges his town faces, including t...

Cooper administration advances its plan to address state medical debt crisis North Carolina ranks among the top five states in the country with the highest levels of medical debt. Through Medicaid expansion and the cooperation of the state’s 99 hospitals, a long-in-the-works plan from Gov. Cooper’s administration will move forward in 2025. Ames Alexander , investigative reporter for The Charlotte...

Democrat Mo Green and Republican Michele Morrow are the candidates for state superintendent of public instruction – a position that oversees North Carolina’s public schools. Morrow is a former nurse and homeschool teacher who burst onto the statewide scene when she upset the Republican incumbent in the March primary. Controversy over her past and present social media posts have dominated headlines...

CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen makes recommendations about when to get your updated Covid and flu vaccines and reflects on her first year heading the CDC. Poet, producer and musician Shirlette Ammons stops by the studio to talk about her latest album, Spectacles . 

On the North Carolina News Roundup… Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is denying a report that he made racist and sexual comments on a porn website. The flooding effects of a so-called 1,000 year storm on the coast. Some down-ballot races are kicking into high gear. And our public schools still have a high number of vacancies. Join Jeff Tiberii and a panel of reporters for context and analysis of the week's...